reckenzaun



2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

A. RBGKBNZAUN.

ELEOTRIG METER. v

Patented Dec. 18, 1888.

(No Model.)

11 ii 1 'i l i neus. mmnmgfwmn wunmxm o, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT Ormea.

ANTHONY RECKENZAUN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES A. PENTZ, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,881, dated December 18, 1888. l

Application filed April I4, 1888. Serial No. 270,696. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

'Be it known that I, ANTHONY RECKENZAUN, of London, England, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, temporarily residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Meters; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inven- Io tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The invention relates to electric meters in which the amount of electrical energyflowing through a given circuit in a given time is measured; and it has for its objects to perizo odically release contact between parts of the variablespeed gear employed to move the registering devices, so that said parts may assume the position they should have relatively to the energy consumed.

It further has for its object to compensate for the varying' attractive force of a solenoid on an iron core, which, as is well known, is not always in exact proportion to the currents strength employed.

3o To the accomplishment of the above and such other objects as may herein appear, the invention will be hereinafter particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and

3 5 in which- Figure l is a side elevation, with parts in section; Fig. 2, an end elevation, with parts in section.

The instrument consists, essentially, of a 4o motor, capable of turning' the registering mechanism. This motor maybe any suitable means. It may be a device worked by springs or by compressed air or raised weights,or any other kind of power; but it is preferred to utilize an electric motor for this purpose. Such electric motor, of any known construction and represented by A, is connected in shunt to the main current by means of thin wires a a. The armature and field magnets of such mo- 5o tor will be wound in such a manner that the speed of the motor is constant with a constant potential at the terminals B B of the meter or instrument. The motor A carries on its spindle a worm, O, which gears into a worm-wheel, D, which is faced on one side. Against this face works a friction wheel or roller, E. This friction-roller is attached to a tube, F, say, of brass. This brass tube is feathered upon the steel spindle or shaft G, and is capable of sliding' up and down. In 6o order that the spindle G may revolve with the brass tube F, a pin, h, is put into spindle G, which pin projects through a long slot, c, in tube F. This slot allows the brass tube to slide-up and down if pressure is applied toit. Upon the upper end of spindle G is placed another worm, H, which actuates worm-wheel I, to which a train of wheels, as 1 and 2, is geared.

.I represents a tube or core of wrought-iron, attached to brass tube F by suitable means- 7o say by set-screw e.

K represents a wire coil or solenoid. Thenever a currentis passing through the solenoid K, the solenoid will suck the iron J into it, and the greater the current the stronger will be this attraction or suction. The shaft d of worm-wheel D is journaled in a suitable boX,

L, and against its end bears an arm or springplate, M, the pressure of which against the end of the shaft CZ to keep the worm-wheel 8o and friction-roller in contact maybe regulated by a screw or a thumb-nut, N, on a pin, O, having its bearing in the post of the boxing L.

The framing P may be of any suitable construction, and a screw, Q, may be employed to center and hold shaft G on its step R.

The parts so far described are the same as shown and described in the application led by myself and James A. Pentz, January 20, 1888, Serial No. 261,405, and I will now pro- 9o ceed to describe the improvements thereon.

Under the construction described in said application referred to, if the current was weakened or the consumption of its energy lessened-say, by taking out one or more lampsthe frictional contact of the roller E with the worm-wheel D was apt to hold the wheel E at the point where it touched when more energy was being consumed, and consequently the device was not as acutely sensitive as desiraroo ble. To overcome that difculty, I provide suitable means for releasing contact between the friction-wheel and worm VFor a period sut'- ieient to give the trietion-wheel an opportunity to drop or assume the position lit should have relatively to the energy consumed, sueh relief being made to oeeur as etten as desired. As an illustration of means suitable therefor, I form one or more eams,f, on the bearing li'or the shaft d, and on that shaft I plaee a pin, g, whieh will be brought against the eam in the revolution ot the sha tt ot' the worm-wheel l), so that as ot'ten as the two parts are brought in eontaet the wheel l) will be moved :t'rom eontaet with the t'rietion-roller, and the latter thus given an opportunity to assume its proper position. The spring )l will restore the wormwheel into eontaet with the ilrietion-ioller. The pressure of said sprin maybe regulated by the nut N.

As herein previously stated, the varying attractive t'oree ot' a solenoid on an iron eore is not always in exact proportitm to the en rrents strength employed. ln order to eompensate these irregular eit'eets, I employ a second similar solenoid, which aets on another iron eore,and theret'ore the dislnfoport ion oit' the two will produce a proportional or apln'oxinnttely proportional result. \Vith that end in view I employ a solenoid, K', in eireuit with the trst solenoid, l, in which seeond solenoid a eore, ,v, 'is suspended trom a lever, S, said lever bein t'u lerumed, say, upon standard or post T, and at its opposite end eonneeted with the li'rietion-wheel E, or with the sleeve connecting with the eore J, so that as the attraetitm on eore .l -varies or Changes while the eore chan ges its position in the solenoid the varying attraeti ve toree is compensated for by the influence of the solenoid K. on the eore J', which establishes an equilibrium at oppositie ends ot' the lever, and yet at the same time determines the exaet position ot the trietion'roller relative to the wormwheel when any given amount ol energy is being measured.

The modus operandi is as follows, viz: Terminals B and ll ot' the meter will be joined to any eleetrie-supply eireuit'- the energy ot' which .it is desired to measure. As soon as the eurrent is switehed on, and not until then, the constant speed-motor A will revolve. Let it be assumed that no current is required by the main eireuit. l`he motor A then will only consume a very small t'raetion ot energy neeessary for its own 'l'n'opulsioln and at sueh time the trietion-rijlller E will be in the eenterol' worm-wheel l), its normal position. \\"hen the tlowol eurrent is caused by eleetrie lamps or other energy-oonsuming apparatus being put in action, the eore .l will be sucked up into the solenoid K, and simultaneously the trietionafoller E will be raised out the eenter ot' worm-wheel l), which keeps on revolving and eauses the .roller E to revolve with it. lhe greater the euri-ent in the solenoid K the l'urther will the eore be sueked into the solenoid l and the lrietion -roller E be moved away from the Center ot' the wor1n-wl1eel D.

The intluenee ol the solenoid K', hmvever, on its eore .l eompensates the varying attraetive t'oree ot' the solenoid l( on its eore J, as the latter ehanges its position in its solenoid, and so an equilibrium is established between the two ends ot the lever andthe proper position of the trietion-roller determined. The speed otf worm C being eonstant, the revolutions ot l'rietion-roller llll and spindle G will be in proportion to the radial displaeement ot wheel or roller E. Consequently the more energy there is eonsumed the Vfaster will roller E and` everything attat-hed to it run, so that there is t'tn'med a variable speed-gear, and as ot'ten as the wtnm-wheel is moved away from the t'rietionsroller by the eam aeting on the pin g/ the trietionroller is given an opportunityr to drop in. proportion to the reduetion in the energy consumed, and thus Caused to assume its proper position il`or the energy Consumed. lVorm-wheel l drives the set oit' wheels l, and 2, provided with the pointers or hands Sl and 4, which will ,imlieate on a suitable seale termed, say, on the laee ol? the train-wheels, the number ot' revolutions per hour or per day, or any Convenient unit of; time. rlhe train ot wheels, pointers, and seales may be arranged in any well-lmown way, so that one will show units, another tens, another hundreds, (he, and the parts ot' the instrummlt are so proportioned that given ntnnbers ot' revolutions ot the pointers will indieate a Corresponding number ot' lamp-hours, or ampn'edxours, or horsepower hours, as the ease may be.

ll'aving deseribed my invention and set forth. its merits, what l elaim is l. ln an eleetrie meter, the eombination, with a variable-speed gear, ot' mezms l'or periodically releasing eont'aet betwvtamA parts ol' said speed-gear, substantially as and for the purposes set lForth.

il. The Combination, with the wheel having a 'lrietion-roller changing its point ot' eontaet with .said wheel with the change in the eonsumption of energy, ot means t'or periodieall y releasin eontaet between said friction-roller and wheel, substailtially as described.

3. In an elet-trie meter, the combination, with a solenoid energized from the main eurrent, ot' a second solenoid in eireuit with the first solenoid and eonneeted with said solei oid to eomptmsate t'or the varying attraetive lloree ot one solem'iid, a variable-speed gear having its speed varied by the energy to be nleasured, and a eonstant-speed motor t'or movingl said gear, substmitiaflly as and for the purposes described.

t.. The Combination, with the wheel having a friction-roller chan ging its point ot' eontaet with said wheel. with the change 'in the eonsumption ot' energy, otl a solenoid. energized from the main Current and mo,\\'ing said. 'trien tion-wheel and a second solenoid. in eirenit with the Afirst solenoid and etmneeted with a part ot' said. t'rietion-wheel-moving meehan ism te counter-poise or eomptmsate :t'or the TOO solenoids and having Connection with parts of the two solenoids, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereofl I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

A. RECKENZAUN.

\\'itnesses JAMES A. PENTZ, WM. G. HENDERSON. 

